LIVE ALASKA NCL BLISS 04-22-2023 to 04-29-2023 Review

[SightCRR]

Glad the past one worked out. My favorite in Ketch is seeing the eagles from the crab boat tour. Totem Bight State Historical Park (alaska.gov) is a quick city bus ride from Ward Cove away from town if time allows.   sightcrr

[tsahall01]

18 hours ago, Gibberish1 said:

Hi! Can you please give advice on whether or not buying the unlimited internet package (not premium) is worth the $110 per person charge?

 

It is possible to upgrade just one person and "share" the unlimited package (if 2 are traveling, the one not upgraded uses up their minutes and then starts using the unlimited package)--very easy to switch from one user to another.

[Jordan61]

1 hour ago, tsahall01 said:

It is possible to upgrade just one person and "share" the unlimited package (if 2 are traveling, the one not upgraded uses up their minutes and then starts using the unlimited package)--very easy to switch from one user to another.

 

Thank you, I was wondering if that would work!

[graphicguy]

1 hour ago, tsahall01 said:

It is possible to upgrade just one person and "share" the unlimited package (if 2 are traveling, the one not upgraded uses up their minutes and then starts using the unlimited package)--very easy to switch from one user to another.

I think you can.  You just can't use 2 separate devices at the same time.  In other words, you would have to log off on your device before another device can use your minutes, and vice versa.

[Gibberish1]

Does anyone know if the ship's water is RO (reverse osmosis)? I saw a comment that someone took a behind the scenes tour and they have RO. If so, no need to buy the "flow" water offered.

 

[Mwisdom]

Will be sailing on the Bliss April 15-22. Just a little over a week away. This will be our second cruise to Alaska and our first cruise with NCL. Last year we were on Carnival. 

[Gibberish1]

We will be on the Bliss 22-29 April with some friends. They just got their Skagway train ride/ Salmon bake credited because they are not sure if there will be too much snow on the tracks to run. 😳

[ChiefMateJRK]

10 minutes ago, Gibberish1 said:

We will be on the Bliss 22-29 April with some friends. They just got their Skagway train ride/ Salmon bake credited because they are not sure if there will be too much snow on the tracks to run. 😳

I'm guessing that this didn't come from NCL.  Correct?

[Gibberish1]

12 minutes ago, ChiefMateJRK said:

I'm guessing that this didn't come from NCL.  Correct?

My friend actually called NCL because she thought she was being charged again and it was actually a refund. The person she spoke with shared that information.

[ChiefMateJRK]

14 minutes ago, Gibberish1 said:

My friend actually called NCL because she thought she was being charged again and it was actually a refund. The person she spoke with shared that information.

That's odd because both NCL and the railroad are continuing to show bookings available on 4/25.

[Panhandle Couple]

4 hours ago, Gibberish1 said:

Does anyone know if the ship's water is RO (reverse osmosis)? I saw a comment that someone took a behind the scenes tour and they have RO. If so, no need to buy the "flow" water offered.

 

After seeing 2 presentations of "How to Run a Floating Hotel" this year, I can say that all NCL ships use reverse osmosis for their onboard water.  

[graphicguy]

16 hours ago, Gibberish1 said:

Does anyone know if the ship's water is RO (reverse osmosis)? I saw a comment that someone took a behind the scenes tour and they have RO. If so, no need to buy the "flow" water offered.

 

It is.  Have done the “behind the scenes” tour several times.  They are very proud of their water systems. Probably more sophositicated than anything you’ll find in any local community, and probably better than most bottled waters on the market.

[graphicguy]

15 hours ago, Gibberish1 said:

We will be on the Bliss 22-29 April with some friends. They just got their Skagway train ride/ Salmon bake credited because they are not sure if there will be too much snow on the tracks to run. 😳

Seems a bit early to cancel because of snow.  Forecasts show highs in the upper 30ºs now, and mid 40ºs predicted when we sail.

[Gibberish1]

4 hours ago, graphicguy said:

Seems a bit early to cancel because of snow.  Forecasts show highs in the upper 30ºs now, and mid 40ºs predicted when we sail.

 

4 hours ago, graphicguy said:

Seems a bit early to cancel because of snow.  Forecasts show highs in the upper 30ºs now, and mid 40ºs predicted when we sail.

I agree, just passing on information that was shared when my friend called NCL. 

[SightCRR]

White Pass Summit Excursion | White Pass & Yukon Route Railway (wpyr.com) 

I don't see any excursions available on 4/25. The weather you care about is Carcross YT Hourly Weather Forecast for Carcross, Yukon, Canada - The Weather Channel | Weather.com with some lows in the lower 20's F. Less than 3 weeks. I couldn't find any web cams working. sightcrr

[ChiefMateJRK]

3 minutes ago, SightCRR said:

I don't see any excursions available on 4/25.

[SightCRR]

Glad you corrected my mistake. Sorry. I was not looking at correct times. There are faa web cams at Skagway (PAGY) and Fraiser Camp but not very user friendly. FAA WeatherCams sightcrr. 

Edited April 7, 2023 by SightCRR

[eileeshb]

On 4/6/2023 at 10:21 PM, Gibberish1 said:

We will be on the Bliss 22-29 April with some friends. They just got their Skagway train ride/ Salmon bake credited because they are not sure if there will be too much snow on the tracks to run. 😳

I know for the sailing I’ve booked in October they are not offering the longer train ride options it’s only up to white pass and back. 

[graphicguy]

Just took a gander at some of the weather predictions (difficult given we’re still 2 weeks out from sailing…NOAA, National Weather Service).  Looks like it’s going to be highs in the 30ºs-40ºs.  Lows will be teens to 20ºs.  Precipitation doesn’t look out of the ordinary, but again, we’re two weeks out.

[fmrlkr]

2 hours ago, graphicguy said:

Just took a gander at some of the weather predictions (difficult given we’re still 2 weeks out from sailing…NOAA, National Weather Service).  Looks like it’s going to be highs in the 30ºs-40ºs.  Lows will be teens to 20ºs.  Precipitation doesn’t look out of the ordinary, but again, we’re two weeks out.

We had 80+ days in Alabama this week and I had my air conditioner running.  I am SO looking forward to this Alaska weather!

[ChiefMateJRK]

2 hours ago, fmrlkr said:

We had 80+ days in Alabama this week and I had my air conditioner running.  I am SO looking forward to this Alaska weather!

Me too.  It would be great if we would see some snowfall.🌨️❄️

Edited April 8, 2023 by ChiefMateJRK

[wacruiselover]

We did this same itinerary last year. Boarded the last day of April and cruised the first week of May. In Skagway we took the Summit Scenic Drive tour. It was cold enough that the (provided) window squeegees came in very handy. But the real fun was when we got to White Pass and the driver let us out at the top. Some folks had never seen snow - and even though some were not dressed for the cold, they went out and played and threw snowballs until the driver had us get back on for the trip back to the ship. We liked Alaska so much we're booked to do it again the week after this cruise.

[eileeshb]

3 hours ago, wacruiselover said:

We did this same itinerary last year. Boarded the last day of April and cruised the first week of May. In Skagway we took the Summit Scenic Drive tour. It was cold enough that the (provided) window squeegees came in very handy. But the real fun was when we got to White Pass and the driver let us out at the top. Some folks had never seen snow - and even though some were not dressed for the cold, they went out and played and threw snowballs until the driver had us get back on for the trip back to the ship. We liked Alaska so much we're booked to do it again the week after this cruise.

snow was a bit of a novelty in most of Ireland for many years, we got snow on the coastline back in 1982 that caused complete havoc and my family had to move in with my grandmother as the house we were renting didn’t have central heating but her house had a fireplace in every room (200+ year old house). The next time was 2018 when I was away on a cruise and it lasted a few days, then we had 1 day of it this winter. I spent a winter in Massachusetts and it literally started snowing the day I got there and didn’t stop until after I was back in ireland. But I had a Malaysian colleague there who was totally fascinated at the first snowfall as he’d never seen snow before.  When you’re from somewhere that experiences a wide variety of weather you don’t appreciate how novel it can be for those from areas that don’t get the full range. 

[ChiefMateJRK]

2 hours ago, eileeshb said:

But I had a Malaysian colleague there who was totally fascinated at the first snowfall as he’d never seen snow before.  When you’re from somewhere that experiences a wide variety of weather you don’t appreciate how novel it can be for those from areas that don’t get the full range. 

Yep.  We were on the last Encore AK sailing in Oct 2021.  We had proper snow in Glacier Bay.  It was FANTASTIC.  I was out on the pool deck enjoying the snow with about a dozen crew members (hopefully none of them got a "talkin' to").  I would love to experience that again.  Who knows?  Maybe folks on this cruise will. 😎

[fandangocruiser]

On 4/5/2023 at 3:12 PM, Gibberish1 said:

Hi! Can you please give advice on whether or not buying the unlimited internet package (not premium) is worth the $110 per person charge?

 

We like it because: 

1.  I'm a news junkie and spend a lot of time surfing. 

 2. Service is usually very slow, and I hate to watch the arrow circling around, knowing that the meter is running.  

3.  I use my tablet before going to bed, and sometimes forget to log out, but that's not a problem if you have unlimited wifi.

4.  Bonus points:  After the first day, the upcharge usually drops about $10-20.  After the second day, they'll tell you the offer is no longer available.  Plan accordingly.